Anthony Scaramucci Warns Donald Trump's New Spokeswoman Katie Zacharia May Not Last 11 Days: 'The Clock Is Running'

Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci mocked the debut of President Donald Trump's new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, via X on Tuesday, October 13, saying, "the clock is running," adding that her tenure was "thus far 1/11th of a Scaramucci.”

The commentary followed Zacharia's first official briefing since being appointed to replace former press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Her 14-minute debut drew widespread criticism for its brevity, nervousness and lack of engagement.

Zacharia spent roughly 14 minutes at the podium. She took only three questions — from Breitbart, Fox News and the Daily Mail — before abruptly ending the session.

Media critics and observers noted that she looked visibly nervous, stumbled over her lines, and spent most of the briefing reading talking points word for word, with little eye contact.

Former Biden press secretary Jen Psaki described the briefing on X as resembling an "SNL skit.”

Outside the White House shortly after the briefing, Trump praised Zacharia's performance, calling her debut "excellent.”

Scaramucci's reference to his own name stems from his infamous 11-day stint as White House Communications Director in 2017 during Trump’s first term. His timeline has since become a standard political unit of measurement for short-lived Washington tenure.

While Scaramucci poked fun at the performance on social media, an unnamed White House official echoed the sentiment to MS NOW, stating that Zacharia "got off on the wrong foot" and needs to improve quickly or "she'll break Scaramucci's record.”

When asked whether he wanted his record broken, Scaramucci posted that he hoped she would.

Media critics, political commentators, and even internal White House staffers described Zacharia’s debut briefing as "brutal," "awkward," “a train wreck” and "uncomfortable.”

While fielding a question about how she would balance the intense position with her family life, the 41-year-old mother-of-four accidentally called her husband "my president" before quickly correcting herself.

Some social media commentators went so far as to mockingly call her the "Zachbot" or claim she "malfunctioned" at the podium.

Podcaster Megyn Kelly blasted her heavily made-up look and revealing cleavage, suggesting she “dial it back.”

Body language analysts and media observers reported that she appeared "out of breath" and visibly panicked, a stark contrast to her combative and seasoned predecessor Leavitt.

Journalists pointed out that Zacharia used much of her 14-minute opening statement to openly campaign, specifically hyping Trump’s rallies ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Critics noted this came dangerously close to violating the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from using their official capacity for partisan political speech.

After her briefing, journalists pressed her on investigative reports questioning her credentials — specifically that she often describes herself as an attorney despite no public evidence that she passed a bar exam. Commentators criticized her response that she worked in law "when I moved to China" as bizarre and evasive.